Watching an episode of Astro Boy recently, got me thinking about it's lessons for the startup industry. The episode is titled 'The Greatest Robot in the World', very fitting for the startup industry I thought. Here's what I took from it:

There will always be new competitors

In this episode a rich Sultan plans to rule the world by developing the most powerful robot of all time. He builds a robot called Bruton that has a whopping one million horsepower, more than any robot in history. How can he fail? Bruton is programmed with the sole purpose of destroying all competition, one by one. Sound familiar? In the startup world there are always well funded competitors setting out to crush you and your competition.

Don't be unprepared

Bruton's first victim is the world's second most powerful robot Mont-Blanc. Mont-Blanc doesn't see the attack coming and is crushed in seconds. Even if your startup is totally unique right now, competition is bound to come, especially if you're successful. Don't be unprepared for the attack, have a game plan ready.

Don't compete on power alone

The next foes (Monar and Brando) try competing on power alone. Competing head to head on power with Bruton is a losing battle as he's obviously more powerful. Are you trying to sell an identical product that's less powerful? You may have a few small wins but eventually you're going down.

Every competitor has weaknesses

The next two foes (Gerhandt and Hercules) are more successful in their battles with Bruton as they identify and focus on his weaknesses. Hercules discovers Burton can't use his arms while flying and takes the battle to the air. In the end they're crushed but last longer than those before them. Every competitor is going to have some weaknesses. Find out what they are and focus on them.

Be aware of your own

The next competitor Photar harnesses sunlight for his power. Neat trick, except Bruton attacks him when it rains so it's useless. You have weaknesses, be aware of them, admit them to customers and choose when to battle.

Leverage your advantages

Astro tries his very best to avoid a battle with Bruton but is eventually drawn in through a string of dirty tricks. He manages to out manoeuvre Bruton's fatal blows by using his nimbleness. To compete you need to recognise and utilise your advantages. Nimbleness is a common advantage against a large slow reacting competitor, but you need to use it.

Can you work together?

Bit of an anti-climax after all the awesome robot battles but Astro ends up using his biggest advantage of all to stay alive, his kindness. He ends up convincing Bruton to work with him to save the neighbouring villages from certain death. Can you play nicely with your competition? Could you even work together to achieve something remarkable?

If they want a fight they'll find one

Unfortunately Bruton is a battle robot so when an even more powerful (2 million horsepower) competitor arrives he can't help but fight. I'm sure you can imagine what happens next. People that are looking for a fight will eventually find one, don't be the victim. While Google and Bing compete for search share, what opportunities are they missing?

Learn from those before you

Many startups have battled before you, some successful, some crushed. Don't repeat their mistakes.